Delhi: Dispute between transgender individuals and police escalates at Dwarka

The transgender individuals claimed they had come to speak to a trans man who was taken from the shelter as his parents had issued a missing persons complaint regarding him. The head of the Mitr Trust administering the shelter, Rudrani, claimed, “The 21-year-old came to us on July 18 and said his parents had kept him locked up for the past two years. Just past midnight, police came to the shelter and said they had to take him to give a statement as his parents had filed a missing persons complaint.”

Rudrani claimed police had subsequently taken him to the station. She said six people later went there to verify his whereabouts, including two shelter staff and four residents, and were allegedly beaten by police. Rudrani added that a complaint was filed with Dwarka police regarding the incident.

Dwarka Police said the matter primarily involved the UP Police. Police said that at 12.20 am on Friday, a Gautam Budh Nagar police team from Badalpur station had sought assistance regarding the missing persons case and had later left with the person named in the complaint.

DCP (Dwarka) Harsha Vardhan said: “Six-seven trans people came to the station demanding to speak to the person. They were told that it was a UP Police matter… They became aggressive and obstructed personnel on duty, and used abusive language… They were dispersed with minimal force.”

The DCP added, “We are sensitive to the concerns of the transgender people. I have asked my officers to engage them in constructive dialogue and not to take the law in their hands. We are working with them to allay their concerns.” He also said, “Though their conduct was not acceptable, no FIR will be filed against them as we do not wish to worsen their situation.”